KNUST Robber Bags 40 years

JAILED! Sadat Abdalla

A KUMASI Circuit Court presided over by Emmanuel Amo Yartey has jailed Sadat Abdalla, a 24-year-old man who, in the company of his fugitive accomplice, subjected some students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to severe beatings before robbing them.

The court sentenced Sadat, a motorbike mechanic, to 40 years' imprisonment for robbing four second-year students of the university after finding him guilty on the counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.

The Asawase-based repairer in Kumasi and his accomplice, one Toffiq, who is now at large, attacked and robbed the victims, who were roommates, of their electronic gadgets including phones and laptop computers valued at GH¢3,613.50.

The robbers took away Fujitsu Siemens laptop, Dell laptop, Toshiba laptop, Vodafone 868 mobile phone, Nokia 6300 mobile phone, Sony Ericson mobile phone, Samsung E2152 mobile phone and Nokia 1100 mobile phone.

Other items included two pen drives, a calculator, an HP Laptop bag, and a notebook.

Presenting the facts of the case to the court, a State Attorney, Emmanuel Otoo Boison, said on April 19, 2012, the convict and his accomplice were seen at the hostel where the victims lodged, a day before the violent attack.

At about 2:30am on the day of the attack, the two, armed with locally-made pistol, broke into the victims' room and subjected them to severe beatings before robbing them.

Toffiq struck one of the victims' forehead with the butt of his pistol, wounding him in the process.

After committing the dastardly act, the two later fired gunshots into the wall outside the room and fled with the items.

The wounded student was quickly rushed to the KNUST hospital for treatment while other roommates swiftly alerted the university security officers that were stationed at the main entrance of the school.

According to the prosecutor, a few minutes later, the accused persons arrived at the entrance on board an Urvan bus with the robbed items in their possession.

The security officers identified the two robbers at the backseat of the vehicle but Toffiq managed to escape amidst firing of multiple gunshots in the air.

Luck however eluded Sadat Abdalla as he was overpowered and the stolen items retrieved for identification and collection by the victims.

He was later sent to the police station where he denied the offence in his caution statement.

 FROM James Quansah, Kumasi